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Mon, June 11 2018

Mon, June 11 2018

A mobile charging station for EVs? Berlin-based start up Chargery provides it

Picture this: an Electric Vehicle (EV) drives through an urban area, but the battery runs low. The car needs to be charged, but all the charging stations are occupied and there are none nearby. The solution: a mobile app that enables the driver to order a mobile EV-charger on demand

In the era of EVs public charging stations become indispensable. Cities need to adapt their infrastructure so EV-owners have enough opportunities to charge their cars. Every city that wants to remain relevant in this modern age has to possess charging stations. However, cities may be reluctant or simply don’t know how to adapt and choose between the vast variety of providers. A possible solution may come from the European Commission (EC). It has produced a document with guide lines for cities where and how to allocate them. But according to some, the EV-to-public-charger-ratio is still not well balanced. This is causing issues that need to be tackled. That is exactly what a Berlin-based start up had foreseen, and as a result they anticipated cleverly.

This refreshing start up goes by the name of Chargery and operates as follows: the customer installs the mobile application on his or her phone and when needed, one just orders a charging station. This mobile station is delivered by bike with an electric cargo carrier attached. Delivery is said to be done within 30 minutes. The deliverer leaves the station at the EV owner and when the car is charged, the EV-owner leaves the station and the deliverer takes care of it. It operates almost the same as the food delivery-services do. Chargery cleverly adapts to the latest ongoing trends of EVs and on demand e-shopping.

What does Chargery provide its customers? A fully charged mobile battery compound that is just slightly bigger than a moving box, but weighs significantly more. That is because this compound houses several battery cells powerful enough to deliver 24 Kwh, which equals a range of 160km. This may not sound much, but it is enough to drive in the city and to get home. However, for people who demand more, a bigger unit is being developed which should be able to deliver 50kwh. Moreover, every EV with a type-two connector can be connected to the Chargery station.

Chargery claims to have three assets. Firstly, it is everywhere. This means that the customer can order the mobile charging station everywhere in the city. Their second asset is availability, which entails that the company operates 24/7. The third concerns green energy. They guarantee that the energy they provide is all green produced energy, which does not only make this solution efficient, but also sustainable. In addition to that, the charging station is delivered by bike, so there is as less emission as possible.

By delivering by ebike, it could be said that Chargery brings closer the bicycle and the automotive sectors. This company utilizes innovations of both industries and combines that in an interesting way. Moreover, with the emergence of Electric Vehicles and Light Electric Vehicles, the two industries have more and more in common. Both make use of battery techniques and have to face the same kinds of mobility issues, such as battery charging and -range, and safety. It becomes increasingly visible that the two sectors are influencing and even complementing each other. Now, with Chargery in play, a next step towards further cooperation might have taken place. This solution inspires to think further about mobility and sustainability solutions within both the automotive and the bicycle industry.

For now, the start up only operates in Berlin. It is unclear whether and when Chargery will become operational outside the Berlin city skirts, but it is imaginable that this might just be the flexible mobility solution other cities are waiting for as well. As a last remark, Bicle wonders if these kinds of charging stations will also become available for Light Electric Vehicles in the future, since those make their advance into urban life as well.